Austin Part Two

I really couldn’t put everything about Austin into one post. Even though it’s been a few weeks now since we left there is more I must share! It’s quite an awesome town especially if you have friends like The Nouveaux Honkies to show you around!

Tim and Rebecca, being musicians, are obviously part of the country music scene. And they were about to show Mike and I some Austin favorites. The biggest experience for me was going to the Broken Spoke, a true honky tonk and dance hall that’s been around for 50 years. As a matter of fact, the weekend we were there was their 50th “birthday” celebration.

It was packed! Two-steppin’ lessons, which they have normally, caused the dance floor to be so crowded there was no way could do anything but watch. But you should have seen when the lessons were over! The dancers!! Unbelievable! There were dancers as serious as the competitors from when I took ballroom dancing lessons years ago!

What struck me most about the place was the low, tiled ceiling. We could have been at grandma’s house. The ceiling sloped so far down to the back, where the band played, that the drummer, while seated, almost hit his head on the dingy tiles hanging above him.

Rebecca and Tim were introducing us to their friends, song writers, producers… I have a feeling I was surrounded my music royalty but I was too dumb to know it! So I just stayed to the side of the stage and watched some amazing people play!

To pay Rebecca and Tim back for their hospitality we introduced them to a part of Austin they had never been – the food trucks on Rainey Street. While Michael and I were hashing earlier in the week in Austin, a gorilla in a pink tutu told us this was the place to go for truck food. Now I understand that most people wouldn’t trust the word of a gorilla in a pink tutu, but if you’re a hasher, that’s what you do!

We hit the trucks and then the greatest bar I have probably ever been to – The Half Step. Fresh squeezed juices, solid ice blocks in drinks, all drinks mixed with a flair and attention to the smallest detail, decor that was Old West Apothecary with a modern twist. Live bluesy-jazz. Perfect.

Adventure: Julie and Michael Style

We fell in love while running and drinkin' beer. Our aversion to boredom and lake effect snow put us in a truck, hauling our house on wheels across the United States. Click that "About Julie and Michael" button, or choose from menu at top right to read the rest of our story.